Written Answers Thursday 16 November 2006

Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much expenditure was incurred operating the review process for agricultural subsidies appeals in each of the last three years and is projected for the current year, giving the number of appeals considered at each stage for each year and showing the number of successful and unsuccessful appeals in each case.

Ross Finnie: The EU Agricultural Subsidies Appeals procedure became operational in November 2000. The information requested is set out below.

  The expenditure represents Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Development Department Appeals Secretariat staff costs, the fees and travel costs paid to Stage 2 external panel members and, for 2005-06 and 2006-07, the legal costs associated with Scottish Land Court hearings at Stage 3.

  There is also input to the appeals process from staff in local area offices and scheme managers in Pentland House headquarters which they undertake as part of their main duties.

  The years shown in the Appeals tables represent the year the appeal was dealt with which can differ from the year it was received.

  EU Agricultural Subsidies Appeals Procedure – Expenditure

  

 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06
2006-07 
(estimated outturn)


£127,101
£179,181
£240,513
£265,200



  Stage 1 Appeals

  

 
 Rejected
 Upheld
 Partial Upheld
 Resolved Pre-Panel
 Total


 2003
 28
 14
 1
 62
 105


 2004
 136
 13
 2
 11
 162


 2005
 149
 14
 1
 18
 182


 2006
 101
 7
 0
 14
 122



  Stage 2 Appeals

  

 
Rejected
Upheld
Partial Upheld
Resolved Pre -Panel
Total


2003
16
1
1
1
19


2004
22
2
1
0
25


2005
21
3
3
0
27


2006
31
6
1
1
39



  Stage 3 Appeals

  

 
Rejected
Upheld
Partial Upheld
Resolved
Total


2006
3
2
0
0
5



  Stage 1 Challenge/National Reserve Appeals**

  

 
Rejected
Upheld
Partial Upheld
Resolved/Withdrawn
Total


2005
33
4
0
29
66


2006
183
3
0
57
243



  Stage 2 Challenge National/Reserve Appeals*

  

 
 Rejected
 Upheld
 Partial Upheld
 Resolved
 Total


 2005
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 2006
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -



  Notes:

  **Arising from the reform of CAP in 2005.

  *64 appeals received - eight cases reviewed, recommendations being prepared for minister to make decisions. No decisions to reject or uphold appeals at this stage have been taken as yet.

Agriculture

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average rent is for agricultural land.

Ross Finnie: The latest available results from the Survey of Tenanted Land in Scotland, show that in 2004, the overall average rent for agricultural land was £31.10 per hectare.

  Notes:

  1. For 2004, the overall rent figure is comprised of average rents of £17.53 per hectare for less favoured area (LFA) land and £112.94 per hectare for non-LFA land.

  2. The 2004 survey results are based on a sample size of 687 responses, so should be treated as an indication of average rents rather than an exact measure.

Agriculture

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in agricultural rents has been in each year since 1999.

Ross Finnie: The following table shows the percentage change in average agricultural rents for each year since 1999, as reported by the Survey of Tenanted Land in Scotland.

  

 Year
 % Annual Change


 1999
 


 2000
 -0.5%


 2001
 2.0%


 2002
 -2.2%


 2003
 2.6%


 2004
 6.2%



  Notes:

  1. The results above are comprised of average rents for both less favoured areas (LFA) and non-LFA land.

  2. These results should be treated as an indication of trends rather than an exact measure, as for example the 2004 survey results are based on a sample size of 687 responses.

Carers

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be made available to fund NHS Carer Information Strategies or, if this information is not yet available, when the level of funding will be announced.

Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is considering the resource implications of improving carer support, in preparation for next year’s spending review. However, there is clear evidence that supporting carers realises significant and immediate savings in other areas. The Executive therefore expects NHS boards to be take action within current spending provision to direct existing resources towards preventative support for carers, in line with Delivering for Health . There is encouraging evidence that NHS boards are already beginning to do so.

Drug Misuse

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many returns were received by the Common Services Agency in respect of the prescription of methadone in 2005-06.

Lewis Macdonald: The number of prescription items for methadone hydrochloride dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors in Scotland during the twelve months from April 2005 to March 2006 was 460,091.

Energy

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of surplus held by Ofgem from the Scottish fossil fuel levy, yet to be transferred to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, is.

Allan Wilson: As of 16 October 2006, the fossil fuel levy surplus stood at £38,697,234.67. We remain in contact with Ofgem over this issue.

Environment

Bill Butler (Glasgow Anniesland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in encouraging young people to participate in the "It’s Our Future" campaign.

Ross Finnie: Earlier this year we published Scotland’s First Action Plan for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development which outlines steps we are taking to ensure that young people have the necessary knowledge, skills and understanding of the issues and how to act upon them.

  The "Its Our Future" campaign is supported by a dedicated website which is part of our long-term efforts to raise awareness of sustainable development and offers practical guidance on steps which everyone, including young people, can take to reduce their environmental impact and live more sustainably. We have also launched a national primary schools’ competition to complement and reinforce the messages of the "It’s Our Future" campaign and reward young people’s involvement in projects aimed at improving the environment or raising awareness of environmental and sustainability issues. We will publish an evaluation report on the campaign around mid-March next year.

  www.infoscotland.com/ourfuture.

Gambling

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken to weigh up the benefits a super casino would bring to Glasgow against the potential risks of increasing problem gambling.

Nicol Stephen: To help understand the possible negative impacts of new casino developments, the Executive commissioned research earlier this year on the social impacts of gambling. We considered this alongside an assessment of the potential economic impact of a regional casino in Scotland. Both reports were published on the Executive’s website on 12 September 2006 and can be viewed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/Research/17692/SocialResearchPubs/EntLifelongLearning.

Gambling

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for its deliberations regarding Glasgow’s super casino bid and any decision on whether to back the bid.

Nicol Stephen: Ministers believe that local councils are best placed to weigh up the pros and cons of new casino developments in their areas.

  It would also be inappropriate for ministers to comment on the merits of specific bids because ministers may become involved in later planning applications.

  The Executive has sent copies of the research on the social impacts of gambling along with an assessment of the potential economic impact of a regional casino in Scotland to the UK’s Casino Advisory Panel for them to consider while they evaluate proposals from councils for new casinos. The panel will make a recommendation to Tessa Jowell MP, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, in January 2007. Scottish ministers will be formally consulted by UK ministers in early 2007 before the final decisions are taken.

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual percentage of (a) singleton births and (b) births following gestation of less than 37 weeks has been of all births since 2001, also broken down by NHS board.

Lewis Macdonald: The following tables attached contains the information requested.

  Table 1(a) Percentage of Singleton Births against all Births by NHS Board of Residence.

  Year Ending 31 March

  

 
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 97.1
 96.9
 97.0
 96.9
 97.1


 Argyll and Clyde
 96.9
 97.0
 97.0
 97.7
 97.3


 Ayrshire and Arran
 97.1
 95.9
 96.7
 97.0
 96.6


 Borders
 96.2
 98.2
 96.7
 98.0
 95.2


 Dumfries and Galloway
 98.7
 97.8
 96.4
 97.4
 97.4


 Fife
 97.2
 96.8
 97.2
 97.1
 96.8


 Forth Valley
 97.4
 97.1
 97.7
 97.5
 97.3


 Grampian
 96.7
 97.2
 96.5
 96.8
 97.7


 Greater Glasgow
 97.4
 96.6
 96.9
 96.2
 97.0


 Highland
 95.7
 96.7
 97.6
 96.3
 97.7


 Lanarkshire
 96.7
 97.5
 97.2
 97.1
 96.8


 Lothian
 97.2
 97.2
 97.0
 96.8
 96.9


 Orkney
 94.6
 96.0
 97.6
 93.7
 97.8


 Shetland
 97.2
 99.1
 99.1
 96.5
 96.6


 Tayside
 97.4
 96.5
 96.8
 96.7
 97.3


 Western Isles
 97.4
 99.1
 98.3
 97.5
 95.5



  Table 1(b) Percentage of Births with a Gestation of less than 37 Weeks against all Births by NHS Board of Residence.

  Year Ending 31 March

  

 
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 2005


 Scotland
 7.7
 7.6
 7.8
 8.2
 7.9


 Argyll and Clyde
 9.2
 8.0
 8.0
 8.9
 8.4


 Ayrshire and Arran
 8.2
 8.6
 9.4
 8.7
 9.2


 Borders
 8.4
 5.5
 6.6
 7.5
 5.9


 Dumfries and Galloway
 7.2
 8.7
 8.1
 7.2
 7.5


 Fife
 7.1
 7.3
 7.7
 7.5
 6.3


 Forth Valley
 7.5
 8.5
 8.1
 8.1
 6.9


 Grampian
 8.1
 7.6
 9.1
 8.4
 8.2


 Greater Glasgow
 7.8
 8.2
 8.0
 8.9
 8.5


 Highland
 8.7
 6.4
 6.7
 7.2
 7.5


 Lanarkshire
 7.0
 6.6
 6.3
 7.8
 7.4


 Lothian
 7.1
 6.9
 7.3
 8.1
 8.0


 Orkney
 8.8
 6.0
 3.0
 14.5
 8.8


 Shetland
 6.5
 7.4
 3.6
 6.1
 7.3


 Tayside
 7.2
 8.0
 7.6
 8.0
 7.5


 Western Isles
 7.0
 5.2
 4.1
 4.1
 8.6

Health

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual percentage of (a) singleton births and (b) low birth weight babies has been of all births, broken down by age range of mother, in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Lewis Macdonald: The following tables contain the information requested.

  Table 1(a) Percentage of Singleton Births against all Births

  

 Age of Mother
 Year Ending 31 March


 2003
 2004
 2005


 All ages
 97.0
 96.9
 97.1


 Under 20
 98.8
 98.8
 99.3


 20 – 24
 98.0
 98.5
 98.2


 25 – 29
 97.3
 96.7
 97.5


 30 – 34
 96.3
 96.2
 96.4


 35 – 39
 95.4
 95.7
 95.5


 40 +
 96.9
 96.5
 95.5



  Table 1(b) Percentage of Low Birth Weight Babies against all Births

  

 Age of Mother
 Year Ending 31 March


 2003
 2004
 2005


 All ages
 7.7
 8.0
 7.4


 Under 20
 8.6
 9.3
 9.4


 20 - 24
 8.5
 8.5
 7.8


 25 - 29
 7.0
 8.2
 6.9


 30 - 34
 7.1
 7.2
 7.1


 35 - 39
 8.1
 8.1
 7.2


 40 +
 9.7
 8.7
 8.8

Higher Education

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been provided to the Institute for System Level Integration since it was founded, broken down by financial year.

Nicol Stephen: In general, public sector funding for the Institute for System Level Integration comes from Scottish Enterprise and is an operational matter for them. In financial year 2000-01, the Scottish Executive provided the ISLI with a one-off grant of £40,000 to fund six MSc students.

Higher Education

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has agreed with the Institute for System Level Integration in order to meet the Executive’s objectives.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not directly fund the Institute for System Level Integration and, therefore, has not set it any targets.

International Development Fund

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of all the organisations and projects that received funding from its International Development Fund in 2005-06 and will receive funding in 2006-07, showing the purpose of each project and the level of funding allocated.

Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the following information on the Scottish Executive website:

  Projects funded from the first round of the International Development Fund:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/intdevfundnov2005.

  Projects funded from the second round of the International Development Fund:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/internationaldevelopment/malawi/idfsept2006.

Justice

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been recovered by the Civil Recovery Unit and the Criminal Confiscation Unit and what their running costs have been since introduction.

Elish Angiolini QC: Between the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 coming into force and 30 September 2006, being the latest available figures, a total of £4,100,000 has been recovered by the Civil Recovery Unit.

  The total annual running costs for the three financial years from 2003 through to April 2006, representing the latest figures available, including staff and case related costs, amount to £2,905,000.

  The Criminal Confiscation Unit was responsible for the administration of restraint and criminal confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. That unit was merged with the Fraud and Specialist Services Unit in June 2004 to create the Financial Crime Unit. The Financial Crime Unit now forms part of the National Casework Division at Crown Office. Separate running costs in respect of the administration of the Proceeds of Crime Act are not available, as the Financial Crime Unit and now the National Casework Division have significant additional responsibilities, including, the preparation and prosecution of serious and complex fraud, money laundering and organised crime cases.

  The total sum subject to confiscation orders since the introduction of the Criminal Confiscation Unit is, to 30 September 2006, £7,057,000.

  The running costs of the Criminal Confiscation Unit/Financial Crime Unit for the three financial years from 2003 through to April 2006 amount to £2,921,000.

Post Office

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome has been of any representations it has made about the future of the post office network and what assessment it has made of how any decision to close local post offices is likely to impact on community development priorities.

Nicol Stephen: UK Government Ministers have yet to make final decisions on the future of the Post Office Network. The Executive will continue to advocate solutions sensitive to Scottish circumstances, taking full account of the local economic and social value of each post office. We have published research that has examined the social and economic importance of post offices to their communities.

Prison Service

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio was of prison wardens to prisoners, broken down by prison, in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001, (f) 2002, (g) 2003, (h) 2004 and (i) 2005 and what the current ratios are.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The SPS do not employ prison wardens. The available information of staff prisoner ratios is contained in the following table:

  

 Establishment
1 April
2000
1 April
2001
1 April
2002
1 April
2003
1 April
2004
1 April
2005
1 April
2006


 Aberdeen
 1.0:1
 0.8:1
 0.9:1
 0.7:1
 0.6:1
 0.7:1
 0.5:1


 Barlinnie
 0.7:1
 0.5:1
 0.5:2
 0.4:2
 0.4:2
 0.4:2
 0.4:2


 Cornton Vale
 1.3:1
 1.1:1
 1.1:1
 1.0:1
 0.9:1
 1.0:1
 0.7:1


 Dumfries
 1.7:1
 1.1:1
 1.1:1
 0.8:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1


 Edinburgh
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.7:2
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.5:1


 Glenochil
 0.7:1
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 0.9:1
 0.8:1


 Greenock
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.7:1
 0.5:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1


 Inverness
 0.8:1
 0.9:1
 0.8:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.8:1


 Low Moss
 0.6:1
 0.5:1
 0.7:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.5:1
 0.5:1


 Open Estate
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.5:2
 0.4:2
 0.5:1
 0.4:2
 0.3:2


 Perth
 0.9:1
 0.9:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.6:2
 0.7:2
 0.8:2


 Peterhead 
 0.9:1
 0.8:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1
 0.6:1


 Polmont 
 0.8:1
 0.9:1
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1
 0.6:1


 Shotts
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 0.8:1
 1.0:1
 0.8:1
 0.7:1
 0.7:1

Public Private Partnerships

Mr Alasdair Morrison (Western Isles) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress there has been in relation to the schools public private partnership in the Western Isles.

Robert Brown: The council is responsible for taking this forward. I understand that they are currently in dialogue with bidders and aim to reach a decision some time in the New Year.

Recycling

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been committed to local authorities to improve recycling.

Ross Finnie: We have committed over £339 million from 2000-01 to 2007-08 under the Strategic Waste Fund and made indicative awards of over £720 million from 2008-09 onwards. This totals over £1 billion to local authorities to improve recycling and divert waste from landfill.

Roads

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission urgently a grade-separated junction at Laurencekirk and what the reasons are for it having rejected proposals for this over the last four to five years.

Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29235 on 7 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Rural Development

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that sustainable rural development and, in particular, rural employment is supported by the rural road network.

Ross Finnie: It is a matter for each council, as the roads authority for their area, to allocate resources on the basis of local needs and priorities.

Sectarianism

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of sectarian violence in each year since 1999, broken down by age and police force area.

Elish Angiolini QC: Sectarian violence is not a separate charge - any charge may have a variety of aggravations added and one of the options is religious. The following tables show the number of charges relating to violent offences with religious aggravations where (1) the charge was prosecuted and (2) the prosecution led to a conviction since the introduction of religious aggravations in 2003.

  Table 2 shows those charges with a Guilty verdict recorded for the charge. Of the 5 female accused who were convicted, 3 also had the religious aggravation taken into account, and of the 45 male accused who were convicted, 25 also had the religious aggravation taken into account. Seven charges relating to male accused in Strathclyde are still the subject of court proceedings.

  Table 1: No of Charges Prosecuted (See Notes 1-4)

  

 Police Force Area
 Age
 Female Accused
 Male Accused


 2004-05
 2005-06
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Central
 36
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1


Lothian and Borders 
 19
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 24
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 39
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 41
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Northern
 46
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


Strathclyde 
 17
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 18
 0
 1
 0
 6
 1


 19
 0
 0
 2
 3
 1


 20
 0
 0
 2
 1
 1


 21
 0
 0
 1
 1
 2


 22
 0
 0
 2
 1
 0


 23
 0
 1
 0
 0
 2


 24
 0
 0
 1
 2
 2


 27
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 28
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 29
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1


 30
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0


 31
 0
 0
 3
 1
 1


 32
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 33
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 34
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 35
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 37
 1
 0
 1
 0
 0


 38
 0
 0
 2
 1
 3


 39
 0
 0
 0
 1
 2


 40
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 41
 0
 0
 3
 0
 0


 43
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1


 44
 0
 0
 2
 0
 0


 45
 0
 1
 0
 1
 0


 47
 0
 0
 2
 0
 1


 49
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 50
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 57
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0


 58
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


Tayside 
 18
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 20
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 
 42
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Total
 
 2
 4
 29
 29
 28



  Table 2: Number of Charges where Prosecution led to a Conviction (See Notes 1-4)

  

 Police Force Area
 Age
 Female Accused
 Male Accused


 2004-05
 2005-06
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Central
 36
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1


Lothian and Borders 
 19
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 39
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 41
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0


Strathclyde 
 17
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 18
 0
 1
 0
 5
 0


 19
 0
 0
 2
 3
 1


 20
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1


 22
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 23
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0


 24
 0
 0
 1
 1
 1


 27
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 28
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 29
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 30
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 31
 0
 0
 1
 1
 1


 34
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 35
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 37
 1
 0
 1
 0
 0


 38
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0


 39
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2


 43
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 44
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0


 45
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 47
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 49
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1


 50
 0
 0
 1
 0
 1


 57
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0


 58
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0


 Grand Total
 
 2
 3
 12
 20
 13



  Notes:

  1. The information in these tables has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s case management database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies.

  2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

  3. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge. Similarly, if a religious aggravation is included by the police but removed by the Procurator Fiscal, this cannot be identified in the database.

  4. There are 124 separate charge codes containing the word - assault. The results in the tables are restricted to the following - assault; assault to injury; assault to severe injury; assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement; assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement, danger of life and attempt murder; murder, and, and offences under Section 41(1)(a) of the Police (Scotland) Act 1967.

Sexual Offences

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) recorded cases, (b) prosecutions and (c) convictions under (i) section 3 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and (ii) section 91 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 there have been in each year since they came into force, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following tables. For part (a) of the question, figures for crimes recorded by the police under the legislation stated are not available separately. Total figures for the criminal offence of "failing to notify the police or providing of false information" are therefore presented.

  The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime involving more than one victim and there is the possibility that the crime recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings. Also a crime may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings concluded in a subsequent year.

  Crimes Recorded by the Police: Failure to Notify the Police or Provision of False Information1, 1997-98 to 2005-06

  

 Police Force Area
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Central
 1
 1
 1
 5
 1
 0
 7
 14
 14


 Dumfries and Galloway
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1
 4
 5
 0


 Fife
 0
 4
 7
 6
 11
 3
 7
 22
 11


 Grampian
 2
 9
 6
 8
 5
 5
 2
 17
 45


 Lothian and Borders
 0
 0
 2
 9
 15
 13
 8
 11
 13


 Northern
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 8
 7
 7


 Strathclyde
 6
 22
 22
 25
 29
 36
 32
 30
 75


 Tayside
 2
 10
 2
 8
 4
 0
 4
 0
 0


 Scotland
 11
 46
 40
 61
 66
 58
 72
 106
 165



  Note: 1. Recorded crime data for this category cannot be further disaggregated by specific statutory offences.

  Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for an Offence Under Section 3 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and Section 91 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 1, 1997-98 to 2004-05

  

Police Force Area 1997 Act
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Central
 1
 1
 -
 1
 1
 -
 1
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -
 2
 2
 -


 Fife
 -
 -
 1
 -
 3
 3
 2
 6


 Grampian
 -
 5
 -
 3
 3
 2
 2
 2


 Lothian and Borders
 -
 1
 3
 13
 11
 8
 6
 3


 Northern
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1
 1
 1


 Strathclyde
 -
 5
 9
 13
 9
 8
 18
 12


 Tayside
 -
 3
 1
 5
 5
 2
 1
 2



  

Police force area 2003 Act
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Scotland
 1
 15
 14
 36
 32
 26
 33
 30


 Central
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Fife
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1


 Grampian
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 5


 Lothian and Borders
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Northern
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Strathclyde
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 3


 Tayside
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Scotland
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 19



  Note: 1. Where main offence.

  Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for an Offence Under Section 3 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and Section 91 of the Sexual Offences Act 20031, 1997-98 to 2004-05

  

Police Force Area 1997 Act
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Central
 1
 -
 -
 1
 1
 -
 1
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -
 -
 -
 1
 -
 1
 2
 -


 Fife
 -
 -
 1
 -
 3
 3
 2
 6


 Grampian
 -
 5
 -
 3
 3
 2
 2
 2


 Lothian and Borders
 -
 1
 3
 12
 11
 7
 6
 3


 Northern
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1
 1
 1


 Strathclyde
 -
 5
 7
 12
 8
 7
 16
 12


 Tayside
 -
 3
 1
 4
 5
 2
 -
 2



  

Police Force Area 2003 Act
 1997-98
 1998-99
 1999-2000
 2000-01
 2001-02
 2002-03
 2003-04
 2004-05


 Scotland
 1
 14
 12
 33
 31
 23
 30
 30


 Central
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 4


 Dumfries and Galloway
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Fife
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1


 Grampian
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 4


 Lothian and Borders
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 1


 Northern
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 2


 Strathclyde
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 3


 Tayside
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -


 Scotland
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 -
 17



  Note: 1. Where main offence.

Student Finance

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many student bursaries were awarded in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 2003-04 and what the total value was of these bursaries.

Nicol Stephen: The following table highlights the number of bursaries awarded by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to students who were domiciled in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since academic year 2003-04 and the total value of these bursary payments:

  

 
 
 (a) Argyll and Bute Local Authority Area
 (b) West Dunbartonshire Local Authority Area


 All Students Receiving a Bursary
 Total Amounts of Bursary Paid Out (£)
 All Students Receiving a Bursary
 Total Amounts of Bursary Paid Out (£)


 2003-04
 955 
 1,342,421
 1,210 
 1,776,498


 2004-05
 895 
 1,229,940
 1,170 
 1,576,421


 2005-06
 895 
 1,488,599
 1,170 
 1,979,106



  Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

  Note: All student numbers in this table are rounded up or down to the nearest five.

  Students can receive a number of different financial awards/bursaries, including Travel Expenses, Young Students Bursary, Lone Parents Grant, Standard Maintenance Allowance, Disabled Students Allowance, Lone Parents Childcare Grant, Young Students Outside Scotland Bursary and Dependants Grant.

Student Finance

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards of Education Maintenance Allowance have been made in (a) Angus and (b) Aberdeenshire in 2005-06 and what total amounts were paid in each area.

Nicol Stephen: The following table shows the number of school students supported in the (a) Angus and (b) Aberdeenshire local authority areas in 2005-06 and the total amounts paid out in each area in academic year 2005-06:

  

 
 
(a) Angus Local Authority Area
(b) Aberdeenshire Local Authority Area


Number of School Students Receiving EMA
Total Amounts Paid Out* (£)
Number of School Students Receiving EMA
Total Amounts Paid Out* (£)


2005-06
 460 
433,250
 725 
730,420



  Source: Scottish Executive.

  Notes:

  All student numbers in this table are rounded up or down to the nearest five.

  *The totals included here include all weekly payments, bonus 1 payments and bonus 2 payments.

  The Education Maintenance Allowance programme was introduced across Scotland from August 2004. Currently 16 and 17 year old students are eligible across Scotland.

Youth Justice

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to address youth disorder.

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to demonstrate the effectiveness of its current and planned measures to combat youth disorder and crime.

Cathy Jamieson: The report of the Youth Justice Improvement Group and the Scottish Executive’s response, the Youth Justice Improvement Programme, were published on 9 October 2006. The Youth Justice Improvement Programme outlines the measures that the Scottish Executive is taking to address youth crime and improve youth justice systems. Work is now underway and a team of professional advisers, seconded from the police, local authorities and the voluntary sector, is now in place to support implementation.

  The Youth Justice Improvement Programme commits the Executive to developing a full performance framework, in partnership with agencies, that will measure progress against the key objectives identified for the youth justice system.

  Copies of the report of the Youth Justice Improvement Group and the Youth Justice Improvement Programme are available from SPICE or may be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/10/09094901/0.

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/10/09094340/0.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the (a) initial set up and (b) annual costs to (i) the Scottish Parliament, (ii) the Executive, (iii) local authorities, (iv) other public sector organisations or bodies and (v) other individuals, organisations and bodies of the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 were projected to be in the Financial Memorandum accompanying the bill and what information it has on what the actual (1) initial set up costs were and (2) costs have been to date since the act came into force, in each category.

George Reid: Projected costs in the Financial Memorandum to the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Bill were –

  Costs to the Scottish Parliament

  The Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 is explained and amplified in the Code of Conduct for MSPs.

  There would be an administrative cost to the Parliament as a result of the new code being published and introduced. It was estimated that updating the code would include formatting and publishing the new code, printing it and distributing it to those who are currently on the distribution list and this would cost approximately £1,500. These costs were expected to arise immediately after the next parliamentary election.

  Additional minor administrative costs as a result of the bill and the new code were expected to amount to £500 and include changes to stationery and letters to members advising them of the change of rules. This administrative cost also includes staff time to present seminars to members and other Parliamentary staff on how the new code works. This will not be a new or additional cost as staff already provide presentations and are available to speak to members and staff about the code and its operation.

  Costs will also be associated with creating the new register. However, these costs will not be additional costs, they will be the cost of staff administering the transfer to the new register. Such tasks will be carried out by the existing clerks as part of their duties. These costs are included in this memorandum for completeness to give an accurate indication of the costs following on from this bill.

  Each member will require to complete a written statement, including details of their registrable interests or declaring that they have none. Once members have completed their written statements the clerks at the Parliament will be responsible for compiling the new register. There will be 129 initial registrations and it is assumed that each written statement will take on average quarter of an hour to register. Assuming that the registration is carried out by a member of staff earning £10 per hour; a total workload of 33 hours gives a cost to the Parliament of £660.

  The above however assumes that each entry in the register will be straightforward. In many cases the member will seek advice from the clerks as to what should be included in the register. Advice will only be given by senior clerks. For completeness this memorandum assumes that half of the members, 65, require assistance to complete their written statement. If each of those requires to speak to a senior clerk who earns £20 per hour, for half an hour, the cost of this advice would be £650.

  Costs to the Scottish Executive

  It was not anticipated that any costs would be incurred by the Scottish Executive.

  Costs to Local Authorities

  It was not anticipated that the provisions would impose any direct costs on local authorities.

  Cost to Other Bodies, Individuals and Businesses

  It is not anticipated that the provisions should impose any direct costs on other bodies and businesses.

  There will be a small cost to individual MSPs in relation to the time that they will require to spend registering their declarable interests. This time and cost cannot be quantified, however, as it will be different depending on the member and the interests which they hold. This will be unique for every member and depend on the circumstances.

  Costs Since the Act Came into Force

  There are no costs accrued as yet from the act coming into force as the Code of Conduct is currently under review.

Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the (a) initial set up and (b) annual costs to (i) the Scottish Parliament, (ii) the Scottish Executive, (iii) local authorities, (iv) other public sector organisations or bodies and (v) other individuals, organisations and bodies of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002 were projected to be in the Financial Memorandum to the Bill and what information it has on what the actual (1) initial set up costs were and (2) annual costs have been in each year since the Act came into force, in each category.

John Scott: The Financial Memorandum to the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Act 2002 stated that the costs to the Scottish Parliament, including initial set up costs, would not exceed £100,000 per year.

  The member will be aware that the statutory role of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner is to investigate complaints against Members of the Parliament for breaches of the Code of Conduct. The Financial Memorandum therefore did not anticipate that any costs would be incurred by the Scottish Executive, and furthermore it was not anticipated that the provisions should impose any direct costs on local authorities, or other bodies, individuals and businesses.

  Information on costs incurred by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, are set out in the table below:

  

 
 2003-04
 2004-05
 2005-06


 Initial set-up costs
£1,721
 
 


 Annual costs 
£65,896 (includes £1,721 set up costs)
£88,792
£65,642



  We do not hold and are not aware of any costs to the Scottish Executive, local authorities, individuals, businesses or other bodies.